I was excited about the giant pumpkin which was cut in half and placed out near the mud kitchen area, ready for the boisterous group of children who participate in our enrichment program. What fun for them to incorporate big spoonfuls of pumpkin seeds and bright orange pumpkin guts into their “recipes”. To the child who still lives in me, this seemed like it would have been like finding the jackpot.
As a child, cleaning out the pumpkin for Halloween — getting to reach my hands into that dark hole and pull out mounds of goop and slippery seeds was an opportunity I never passed. So when I set out that pumpkin as an open invitation to get messy and explore this unique sensation with their hands, I naturally assumed that the children wouldn’t be able to get enough. But by day’s end, instead of children happily up to their elbows in pumpkin guts, I was left with the image of them gingerly picking at the insides of the pumpkin with sticks, spoons and tongs. They did mix the pumpkin into their “soups” and “stews” and served it up to those who were nearby, but it wasn’t the full-on, tactile experience I had been imagining.
As an occupational therapist, I am acutely aware of the importance of a healthy, robust sensory system. This includes the senses we all are familiar with — taste, smell, sight, hearing — but also the more foundational senses that tell us where we are in space (vestibular) and that help us develop a mental map of our bodies (proprioception). The development of these senses are foundational because they give us a way to feel grounded and safe in our bodies and in control. Our tactile, or touch sense is also included in this short list of foundation-building sensory systems.
The tactile system is one of the first to develop in utero and continues to develop as the child is exposed to the multitude of sensations coming at them from day one — the feeling of air moving past their skin, a mother’s touch, a wet diaper, the fabric of their clothing. The child’s brain begins to take in all of this sensory information — pressure, temperature, pain — and make sense of the world around them.
Filters are also developed so that we do not get bombarded with all of this information. We need to be able to sift through what is not important (the feeling of our clothes on our skin) so that we can focus on what is important (exploring nature, listening to a friend or a teacher in class). This is part of what we call attention or focus, and those who are able to do it better are able to learn more.
Lots of exposure to many different kinds of tactile experiences, especially those found outdoors, helps our children integrate tactile information so they can better develop their filters and therefore pay better attention to whatever is important in any given moment. Children often do this naturally when given the opportunity by rolling in sand at the beach, running barefoot outside, finger-painting, helping in the kitchen, playing in the rain, holding insects and frogs, and helping to scoop out the jack-o-lantern with their hands. These types of experiences are invaluable to a child’s developing sensory system — it is how they learn about the world and themselves.
If there are children at home, help them develop a robust sensory system by allowing and encouraging messy play and getting dirty, especially out in nature. Research indicates these activities will help their brains organize, their senses integrate, and their immune systems strengthen, so that they can bravely explore the world and become their best selves.
Elizabeth Wilkins, owner of TimberNook of Greater Portland Maine, has been a teacher in Waldorf settings for 13 years and recently obtained a degree in occupational therapy. She and her family live in Gorham.